Began my lollipop loop hike from the gate at old Highway 10 near I-90 Exit 20. There were a few other cars already parked nearby. I hiked up the High Point Trail, which is steep in places. When I went under the PSE powerlines, I saw that they had had heavy equipment come through on the powerline road and made a muddy mess for the trail. After passing by the junction for the Dwight's Way Trail, you can see the former roadbed for the "Wooden Pacific" when the High Point Mill Co. was logging the north and west sides of Tiger Mtn. during the steam donkey logging days. Some sections of the trail are on the old roadbed. I then got up to the junction with the TMT and started up hill. When I arrived at a small pond on the west side of the trail I searched around for the remains of the double flanged steel wheel used by the High Point Mill Co. to get their logs down to their sawmill (the sawmill site is now buried under I-90) from the logging railroad grade which is now the West Tiger RR Grade Trail. I found the wheel off the trail SE of the pond. You cannot see it from the trail. The double flanged wheels were used on log cars for a railroad track made of 10"-12" logs for rails.
I then continued up the TMT going over the bridge at Ruth's Cove. The area was named for Ruth Ittner who came up with the idea of building a north-south trail through the Tiger Mtn State Forest back in 1972. The trail then levels off for a short distance before getting to a huge old growth Doug Fir stump. Then it is back to going uphill through a couple of switchbacks and coming to the junction with the West Tiger RR Grade Trail. I turned right and headed westbound downhill to get to the old logging railroad grade. This part of the trail is also the TMT.
As I hiked along the old logging railroad grade, I was looking to see if I could spot the old boiler fitting, I had seen in photos in other WTA trip reports. I did not spot it on my hike today. I looked in my 1925 Willamette Iron and Steel Works catalog and found one that looks just like in the photo. It is a Globe Valve part number 591. WI&SW was established in 1865 in Portland, OR building logging machinery, marine & hoisting machinery, boilers and plate steel products. They built various types of steam donkeys for logging that were called "Engines". They had ones for loading, yarding, cable way skidders, plus ones for hoisting and lowering using steel cables (wire rope) on steep grades like for the "Wooden Pacific". They also built three-cylinder geared logging steam locomotives. After WW2 the WI&SW was doing steel ship repairs in Portland and went out of business in 1990 because of other larger ship repair companies doing that work.
The TMT leaves the old logging railroad grade and heads uphill to get to the junction with the K-3 Trail. Along the way the trail crosses High Point Creek on a large wood bridge. This bridge used to be on the West Tiger RR Grade Trail and was moved up stream to its present location on the TMT. The DNR rerouted the TMT several years ago and closed off part of the West Tiger RR Grade Trail which is now grown over in trees, brush and Devils Club. After crossing the bridge, the TMT goes along a steep side hill in a nice conifer forest area where I could see the Cascade Mountains. I arrived at the junction with the K-3 Trail and the old section of the TMT that meets up with the West Tiger RR Grade Trail. While at the junction I used a fallen tree for my lunch time bench.
After eating I headed down the old section of the TMT which has switchbacks, so is much less steep than hiking down the K-3 Trail. This trail does not get much use so has become overgrown with Sword Ferns. When I got down to the West Tiger RR Grade Trail I hiked north to get to the K-3 Trail. There was one large conifer tree over the trail that needs to be cut out. Once at the K-3 Trail I hiked down this steep trail that follows a ridge line to get to the lower part of the TMT. Glad I had my trekking poles for the K-3, your knees will be happy you did. Once down to the TMT I headed easterly to Murats Bridge and the junction with the High Point Trail. This part of the TMT was nice to hike on after doing the K-3 Trail. Then it was downhill back to the trailhead.
I met a few other hikers in the morning but did not see anyone in the afternoon. The only wildlife I saw was one Douglas Squirrel on a Doug Fir tree along the K-3 Trail. My hike was 8.3 miles with about 2,020' of gain. George
Comments